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Aircraft engine specialist vs airframe mechanic

The differences between aircraft engine specialists and airframe mechanics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an aircraft engine specialist and an airframe mechanic. Additionally, an airframe mechanic has an average salary of $60,976, which is higher than the $38,619 average annual salary of an aircraft engine specialist.

The top three skills for an aircraft engine specialist include test equipment, technical data and fighter. The most important skills for an airframe mechanic are landing gear, safety procedures, and hand tools.

Aircraft engine specialist vs airframe mechanic overview

Aircraft Engine SpecialistAirframe Mechanic
Yearly salary$38,619$60,976
Hourly rate$18.57$29.32
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs4,78734,067
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 35%High School Diploma, 41%
Average age4040
Years of experience44

Aircraft engine specialist vs airframe mechanic salary

Aircraft engine specialists and airframe mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.

Aircraft Engine SpecialistAirframe Mechanic
Average salary$38,619$60,976
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $65,000Between $43,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between aircraft engine specialist and airframe mechanic education

There are a few differences between an aircraft engine specialist and an airframe mechanic in terms of educational background:

Aircraft Engine SpecialistAirframe Mechanic
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 35%High School Diploma, 41%
Most common majorFire Science And ProtectionAviation
Most common collegeStanford UniversityPurdue University

Aircraft engine specialist vs airframe mechanic demographics

Here are the differences between aircraft engine specialists' and airframe mechanics' demographics:

Aircraft Engine SpecialistAirframe Mechanic
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 89.1% Female, 10.9%Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 7.3% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage2%2%

Differences between aircraft engine specialist and airframe mechanic duties and responsibilities

Aircraft engine specialist example responsibilities.

  • Perform schedule and unschedule maintenance on communication, radar, instrument, electrical/power distribution, and integrate weapons delivery systems.
  • Diagnose and troubleshot malfunctions in electrical and electronic components, including solid state and transistorize subsystems on UH-60A aircraft.

Airframe mechanic example responsibilities.

  • Utilize and reference additional supporting documentation including FAA approve engineering data/drawings, supporting company policies/procedures and supervisory instructions.
  • Line maintenance on ATR-42s and Embraer Brazilias.
  • Design and implement tracking checklist for each helicopter to track progress of each modification installation.

Aircraft engine specialist vs airframe mechanic skills

Common aircraft engine specialist skills
  • Test Equipment, 15%
  • Technical Data, 9%
  • Fighter, 8%
  • Technical Orders, 7%
  • Airframe, 7%
  • FAA, 6%
Common airframe mechanic skills
  • Landing Gear, 9%
  • Safety Procedures, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 8%
  • Structural Repairs, 8%
  • Maintenance Tasks, 4%
  • Maintenance Manuals, 4%

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